Upset with the slow pace of computerising, all Waqf Board properties and related information, Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) has outsourced the job from State Waqf Boards to a third party.
The Ministry has set a deadline of January 2017 for completion of the record process. The outgoing Government had set aside Rs30 crores for the project and revised the completion deadline for the computerisation process at least thrice but failed. According to the Government, the Waqf digitisation project, which was aimed to preserve important documents of Waqf institutions along with tagging them using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), is far from completion. The assessment records with the Government show that the details of over 60 per cent institutions are yet to be recorded into the system.
So far, close to three lakh (2,92,301) data entries on immovable properties have been entered in the system. “We have outsourced the job a Central Government PSU. They will work as a third party and take up the remaining digitisation process,” said a senior official from MoMA. “We will officially handover the job to them in January. The project should take about two years to complete. We are aiming at a January 2017 deadline,” he said
The project which entails five modules — to maintain updated inventories for Waqf properties, track revenue generated from individual Waqf Properties by ensuring timely reminders for submission of Annual Returns by Waqf Properties’ Managers. The second will entail details of Mutawalli, who is the manager of a Waqf property, the third module comprises of tracking litigations, fourth consists of details on encroachments if any and the fifth will encompass the GIS details, to help one locate it on the map.
“Once this process is completed, we can have a real time monitoring for all Waqf properties. This will help us ensure that such Waqf properties are not encroached or sold illegally for private benefits,” said the official. “Moreover, a detailed account will help us bring about development of Waqf properties, which will increase revenues, which can then be utilised for the development of the community,” he said.